River Sweep 19 Looks For Help

Pennsylvania River Sweep is looking for volunteers for its 19th annual cleanup event later this month. During the sweep volunteers meet at specified spots along the region’s three rivers to pull trash out of the water and off the shoreline. In recent years the event has been coordinated with similar cleanups along the length of the Ohio River. PA River Sweep coordinator Betsy Mallison says last year 600 volunteers collected 58 tons of trash. The coordinated event saw 21-thousand people collect trash along 3 thousand miles of shoreline. This year’s River Sweep runs from 8am-noon Saturday, June 20th. Mallison says unlike in years past, volunteers do not need to register in advance. She says people can simply checkout all of the designated sites on the web and then show up on the day of the event ready to work. People of all ages can volunteers but minors must be accompanied by an adult. Mallison says the amount of trash has been decreasing and the water quality is improving in and around Pittsburgh. She says the number of large items such as refrigerators has been decreasing but she says they still find plenty of plastic, tires and construction debris. Mallison says the one-day clean up effort is only half the battle. She says it is also an attempt to raise river and environmental awareness. Nancy Barylak of ALCOSAN says people need to realize that everything they throw out of their cars and boats and drop on the riverfront trails winds up in the rivers. She says, “People need to stop littering.”